New City Charter approved in Odesa

The Odesa City Council has approved a new version of the city's charter with the Ukrainian anthem and no mention of Odesa's place in the Russian Empire or the feat of the Russian military in the city's history.

The decision was supported by 41 deputies during the session on November 19.

The city's anthem is the song "The Land of the Black Sea" with lyrics by Semen Kirsanov and music by Modest Tabachnikov (translated into Ukrainian by Serhiy Osoka).

A mention was also made of the fact that the traditions of urban planning within modern Odesa date back to antiquity. Cartographic documents from the early fourteenth century (1311) and archaeological materials indicate the existence of the Ginestra factories (trading post) on the shores of the modern Gulf of Odesa, and the first written mention of the port (Kochubiyiv, Kachibey, Hadzhibey) is dated May 19, 1415.

However, the changes in the document are still insufficient, according to Vladyslav Balinsky, head of the Green Sheet NGO, and Serhiy Bondarenko , author of a petition to the mayor to amend the Charter, which received the number of votes needed for consideration by the mayor almost simultaneously with the deprivation of Hennadiy Trukhanov of Ukrainian citizenship and mayoral powers. They were joined by the public organization "Making You Nervous".

The fact is that although Empress Catherine II is no longer mentioned as the founder in the new Charter, September 2 is still the official day of the city, and April 10 is celebrated as the day of Odesa's liberation from the Nazis. In addition, according to civic activists, the Charter should recognize May 2 as the day of resistance against the "Russian Spring" (this refers to the events of May 2, 2014, when 48 people died in clashes provoked by pro-Russian activists in Odesa - ed.) They also believe that Odesa is still positioned as a multicultural city, forgetting about its Ukrainian identity.

Кирило Бойко